Haitians correlate pregnancy with intercourse and insemination.44, 46 Contraceptive
use is not common and Haitian men are generally not willing to use
contraceptives.42 The fertility rate in Haiti, as of
2002, is 4.3 infants per woman.14 One reason for the high
fertility rate is the fatalist attitude that many Haitians adopt.
They believe that certain health related conditions, including
pregnancy, are determined only by God.29, 46

Pregnancy is not seen as an illness and is a happy time for the
whole family.29, 30

Traditionally in Haiti, babies are born at home with the aid of
midwives. These midwives are not necessarily medically trained, but
most likely were born into the profession.56

Pregnancy does not relieve a woman from work 29, 30 nor does it require medical visits, thus prenatal care is not
traditionally sought.15,29, 30, 55, 56
However in one study subjects revealed
that they thought prenatal care was important.44

Diet
when pregnant is somewhat restrictive. Women are cautioned against
eating spicy foods because they are thought to irritate the child.29, 30, 31, 32, 44 Women are encouraged to eat red fruits and vegetables (like
beets and pomegranates) because they are believed to build up the
fetus' blood. They are also encouraged to eat heartily since they
are eating for two.26, 29, 30, 31, 32
See
childbearing women and food preferences.

Enemies are believed to have the capacity to put bad
spells on the baby, therefore there are no dangers associated with pregnancy as long as the woman
has
no enemies.44

There
are no
restrictions on sexual activity during pregnancy.44

Haitian women may deal
with the excess salivation brought on by pregnancy differently than
Americans are used to. These women may carry a spit cup around with
them since they do not feel they should swallow their saliva and do not feel this is at all
inappropriate.29, 30

Labor practices of the Haitian woman
may consist of walking, squatting, massaging the
belly, and sitting. Haitian women tend not to ask for pain
medication. It is not uncommon for some women to be loud and emotional,
where others may be quiet and stoic. Fathers are usually not involved as labor is considered woman's work, and best handled by
female friends and family members.29

After the birth of the baby the mother and the baby are often kept
in confinement for about a month, during which both the mother
and the infant are considered vulnerable to illness. Often, the
family waits to name the infant until after the seclusion period has
ended. Sometimes the baby may wear beads or necklaces to ward off
evil spirits.38

Some infants may wear a band of cloth around the abdomen to
help them develop a strong body.55

It is
believed that Mother and infant need to keep warm to prevent themselves from
getting ill.26, 29, 38, 55

One
postpartal procedure that is frequently used is the "three baths".
Special herbs are gathered and water is made from it to bathe in,
and a tea made to drink. For the first three postpartum days
the woman is encouraged to take a hot bath in the herb fortified
water;
this is the first bath. The next three days she is encouraged to
bathe in herb fortified water that is warmed by the sun; this is the
second bath . When the baby
reaches the age of 1 month, the mother is encouraged to take the
third, cold, bath. This last bath is thought to help healing and tighten
the joints and muscles that were loosened by delivery.15, 29, 30, 55, 57

A
woman is considered to
be especially vulnerable to gas entering the
body in the postpartum period. Thus, she must tighten her waist with
a belt, a sash or a binder. This is also thought to help tighten her bones.29, 30, 55

Breastfeeding
is the norm in Haiti. However, health care
practitioners have been alarmed at the lower rates of breast feeding
practiced by Haitians in America. The increase in formula feeding
has been related to socioeconomic factors including mother's need
to work outside the household.36, 41, 42, 43

Haitian women have many
concerns about breast-feeding and believe that
breast-feeding causes some infant illnesses including intestinal parasites, diarrhea, or tetanus. If the milk is too
thick, it is said to cause impetigo; if its too thin (caused by
maternal fright or worry) it can cause maternal headaches,
depression, infant diarrhea, or even failure to thrive.26, 29, 30, 31, 41, 43, 58
If the
mother becomes very upset it can cause "spoiled milk syndrome"
which is irreversible and can poison the infant.43 Because of these beliefs, if the infant gets diarrhea, the
breastfeeding is immediately ceased.

It is common for Haitian women to mix starchy additives to formula
to encourage weight gain.36

Another practice common to Haitians is to
withhold food from the
infant until the meconium is passed. In addition, it is believed
that the
first stool blocks the intestines and must be purged by giving the
infant a lok which has
castor oil as its main ingredient.36, 41, 44, 55